I believe it’s time for us to retire this well-worn phrase. It represents an old way of thinking about enrolling people and sharing your MLM business. In essence, telling people to “fake it ’til you make it” is teaching dishonesty, and the language of “faking” does not imply personal evolution or personal change, but presents something that’s not really you.

I’m not saying this is the intention of Networkers who use this phrase. I can understand what’s behind it. It’s an intention to have people be out there stretching themselves even though they may be fearful. It’s the idea that acting like you’re a success will create the behavior that really will lead to success. People also say this in an effort to get new distributors off the idea that until they know everything they can’t take action. You know the cliche — the ultra-educated Networker who’s never sponsored someone. Read the rest of this entry »

Good fences make good neighbors, but do good personal boundaries make good Networkers?

Yes.

While many Network Marketers have been conditioned to get “close” to the prospect, the real goal is to build strong, lasting relationships. The more distinct the boundaries of a relationship, the easier it is for upline and downline to know, like, and trust each other — which is essential to starting and building a business together. Boundaries are key to maintaining both strong relationships and individual strength through the inevitable ups and downs of our business.

What exactly is a Boundary and How can You Use One?

In simplest terms, a boundary sets limits, makes distinctions, informs you as to what is you and what is not you. A boundary makes clear the distinction between you and others, and tells you where one thing ends and another begins. It lets you know that another’s ideas, values, and feelings are not necessarily yours. A boundary is flexible and permeable, letting information flow back and forth. It allows you to actively listen without having judgments. Read the rest of this entry »

It is a well-documented fact that the players who hold the record for the highest goals, hits, or baskets also miss more than other players.

Some even hold the record for both!

Why? Well, they know that the only way they are going to ‘score’ is by attempting to in the first place. They know that they WILL score on a certain percentage of their efforts – so they shoot as much as they can.

But if you’re not careful, there is one trap that can transform a magnificent goal into an overwhelming obstacle. I know all too well, because I’ve been trying to blast through, climb over, or go around one of those obstacles myself for the last few months.

Many times goals are pretty straightforward and require little more than your consistent commitment to action. Then there are times when we set BIG, complex goals that take us where we’ve never been before. Those goals that have us blazing a path where no one has gone before require us to gather a team of experts to bring the goal to reality. Look to your upline (s) and even your MLM Company for that team of experts.

The same trap is always there, but with these BIG goals this stumbling block can become like a black hole that sucks anything nearby into the abyss – including your energy, motivation and momentum. Read the rest of this entry »

This past week I read the amazing story of LuAn Mitchell, one of Canada’s great entrepreneurs. Her story will never be a movie because no one would believe it!

Pregnant at 16, later a beauty queen who married a man even after they found out he had a life-threatening disease, single mom, and CEO of (believe it or not) one of Canada’s largest meat packing companies, she has an astonishing story of perseverance and accomplishment.

How did she do it? And, what can we learn from people like LuAn who overcome the odds and get results most of us only dream of?

I think there are at least four basic principles that MLM distributors can keep in mind.

The basics are just that, the BASICS! Too often we get caught in the busy-ness of life and we either forget to monitor the first principles of success, or we get over-confident and think we can re-invent the basics, but there are no “new fundamentals.” The fundamentals have not changed. We either take care of business, or we struggle. (Or we count on “luck” to save the day…never a smart plan.)

When I was 21 years old, my mentor asked me what I thought the value of an hour was. I honestly did not know how to answer the question. He went on to teach me one of the most valuable lessons I have ever learned.

He suggested that the value of an hour was priceless. This confused me some, so this is what he said to me.

If you invest one hour each day in understanding yourself and your environment better, you will accumulate nine 40-hour weeks over the course of a year!

You may not be new, but you do need tips to keep an eye on those who are! When your building an MLM team, you need to be able to determine when someone needs help or just plain won’t make it.

When it comes to abundance, one of the most common “set-ups” for scarcity results from lack of awareness and understanding of the process required to create or access it.

Consider the space shuttle at take-off. Have you noticed its huge fuel tanks? I once read that the space shuttle uses about 85 percent of that fuel in the first five minutes of its flight! It is being launched into space where it will orbit around the earth for five to ten days, yet it uses 85 percent of its fuel in the first five minutes! Why?

It needs the fuel to overcome inertia and get moving. Once it actually lifts off, it needs more fuel to gain speed and break through the earth’s gravitational field. Only after it has made it through gravity can it be carried by earth’s orbit for the duration of its mission.

As your MLM Team begins to “launch” toward their goals and abundance, it is important that you understand the importance of this example. Anytime someone sets a new goal, they will also need to overcome “inertia” to get moving toward that goal. Just like the space shuttle, they will need to have lots of “fuel” to do this. (By the way, if you’re wondering what this has to do with abundance, the state of inertia is rarely abundant.) Read the rest of this entry »